Astrological Musings

Total eclipse of the Sun, July 21-22 2009

The New Moon that occurs at 10:35 pm EDT on July 21 (2 am GMT July 22) is also a total solar eclipse, in which the Moon passes in front of the Sun from our perspective here on Planet Earth, obscuring the light of the Sun for a short time.

Solar eclipses always occur at the time of the New Moon, when the Sun and Moon are in the same degree of an astrological sign and said to be conjunct. Because the conscious intention of the solar principle combines with the instinctive longings and reactions of the lunar principle at the New Moon, these are excellent times for new beginnings. But in an eclipse, the solar principle is temporarily blocked and the lunar principle prevails.

Eclipses can only occur when the New or Full Moon occurs near the Lunar Nodes, the points at which the Moon crosses the ecliptic of the Sun. In the astrological language, the Nodes of the Moon represent the evolutionary direction of the soul, with the South Node pointing to the direction from which we have come, and the North Node the direction of our future. Therefore, the symbolism inherent in the eclipse is a powerful clue to the evolutionary potential in an eclipse event. This upcoming eclipse is very tightly conjunct the Nodes – within one degree – which portends its importance for planetary evolution.

The ancient Chinese, Incas and Hindus viewed the nodes of the moon as the Dragon’s Head (North Node) and the Dragon’s Tail (South Node), and they perceived an eclipse as the Dragon eating the Sun or the Moon. From the beginning of the use of astrology, somewhere over 2,000 years, eclipses have been used to time significant events. In a typical year there are two pairs of eclipses, but this year there are an astonishing six, indicating that this is a significant year for change.

The upcoming New Moon is not only an eclipse but also the second New Moon in Cancer (a phenomenon also known as the “Secret Moon.”) Because Cancer rules the Moon, it is particularly powerful in Cancer and because this is an eclipse of the Sun, the lunar influence is even more powerful. The Moon presides over all issues of emotion, but also our emotional connections to each other and to our ancestral history. Cancer is known for its concern with family matters but that sense of family extends beyond the nuclear family, and even the extended family, to the entire tribe of which we are a part. Some of us have strong family ties; others of us create our own tribes that serve the family role.

Because of the intensity of the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune which is still tighly in alignment, many of us are more sensitive and more highly reactive than usual. Under the eclipse the influence of the solar conscious mind is diminished, and the emotional power of the Moon stands raw and undiluted. The Triple Conjunction is already stripping away the veneer that we have built to protect us from ourselves; the eclipse may accelerate the process of unmasking the vulnerability (Moon/Cancer) that reveals our true heart.

The first New Moon in Cancer occurred in June on the day following the Summer Solstice which added its own bit of drama. This New Moon is at the 29th degree of Cancer, within two degrees of the North Node. The 29th degree is sometimes called the “critical degree,” and there is a sense of something coming to a close, of needing completion. The New Moon, when the Sun and Moon conjunct, is typically a time of new beginnings; however, here we have something new beginning and closure occurring at the same time. The Sun is on the cusp of Leo, so the fresh new start is already in place – we have only to turn our view so that we are looking forward again and we will be in motion.

The New Moon is trined by Uranus, the planet of radical change and surprise, suggesting that the new wave of evolution will not be what we are expecting. Uranus demands that we let go of any rigid ideas that we have and open up to the intuition of the higher mind. A harmonious sextile of Mercury to Mars is embedded in the New Moon as well, helping to sharpen our focus and provide us with the mental energy we need to get through any difficulty we encounter in our day.

Relationships may be under some pressure with a square of Venus (relating and beauty) to Saturn (disappointment and restriction), and we may find that this is a time that the soul prefers solitude to companionship. This is a time when we are pulled deep within ourselves and the presence of others in our lives may create pressure with the Saturn/Venus influence. On the other hand, Saturn inspires us to greater loyalty and commitment so it is possible now through the hard work that is required of a Saturn square, a challenging aspect, to strengthen our relationships based on the Truth that is emerging from within.

The effect of the eclipse will be most powerful for those who are currently undergoing transits to their chart from the Triple Conjunction, or who have planets in the very last degrees of the Cardinal signs (Cancer, Capricorn, Aries and Libra). The eclipse is also most powerful in the areas where it can be seen, which in this case includes central India including Mumbai and Bhopal; Nepal, Bhutan, Shanghai, and the islands south of Japan.

This post was so insightful! My MC is @ 25 degrees Cancer [with the south node there in cancer] and my Ic is @ 25 Capricorn. I left my job in June, and decided to go with another agency [I’m a home health aide]They are stil in the process of getting my references etc..it’s taking too long!On the 21st, I actually have another job interview, part of me wants to leave home care, because It’s a bit draining, and as a Pisces, it can be a bit much at times.
My ultimate dream is to write. I don’t know if I have what it takes to do so, but It’s something that brings me greta joy, and peace. It’s just so amazing, how all of these events have taken place in my life. With uranus conjunct my sun-mercury, and going into my 6th house, I hastily left a job! Then I apply for another angency, and then another interview comes up on the 21St. I’ve been so inmpulsive lately, and I’m paying the price for it. My rent is due, I”ve fallen behind and now I’m scrambling to pick up the pieces..
March 11th 1973
New York, NY
8:26 Pm

http://www.gemini-awakening.com Joseph

Re “Your Name” – You have very significant cycles occurring in your chart (been in play for the past year). It’s a time of letting go, dissolving, restructuring and realigning your energy to what serves/nurtures you.

Wayman Tooles

Great post, Lynn. This information is valuable to me.
Thanks,
Wayman

http://www.astrodynamics.net Lynn Hayes

Your Name, Uranus sits right on the ascendant of your chart so no wonder you’re impatient. It also squares your Midheaven (career point) which suggests that your rebellious disdain for authority may create some difficulty in your career path. And that’s before we add in the Uranus transit to your Sun/Mercury. You’re just now clear of a transit of Saturn to natal Saturn which has created restrictions, and that has probably made you more impatient and restless than usual. Saturn will complete a transit to your Moon in September, so until then you must be practical and patient. Writing is certainly present in you chart with both Mars and the North Node there, and you have lots of creativity. But with Neptune in the 2nd house you need to have an alternative source for supporting yourself. I suggest that you continue on your job search but hold a vision for the type of work that you want so that you won’t keep bouncing around from one thing to another.

hitchhiker72

Thanks for this, Lynn.
As I’ve mentioned in several other places, this solar eclipse is going to take place directly opposite my 29 Cap moon in the 2nd house and conjunct my South Node in the 8th. Like Your Name, I could do with a burst of energy getting things moving. Have been feeling like I’m in a waiting room for way too long. Finances are an issue, but more specifically my sense of value, of myself and in relation to others. So we’ll see.

Dijuu

So that’s why I’ve been feeling so restless lately! I can’t sleep well either. Not a clue why until now. When will this let up? My impulsivity is acting up too and that can get me into a lot of trouble.
Best and most specific reading I’ve seen in a long time!

Nicole

Lynn thank you so much for the insight! I feel like I’m walking in cement,and it’s not a good feeling! I forgot to enter my name, so It says “Your Name” see how impatient I am?..lol I’m sure all of us will get through this! We have no choice, no do we?

http://www.astrodynamics.net Lynn Hayes

Dijuu, give us your birth data and we can see more specifically how your chart is affected.

Yoshinogawa

Lynn…I’ve prepared a long comment for your highly informative / important article on this summer’s total eclipse. Did read your guidelines re. comments that are articles in themselves. Mine’s that long…hard to shorten…a comment on the total eclipse of Aug ’08, how it connects with this yr’s…so it may stimulate readers to make incisive speculations on the new eclipse. What do you think…OK to post ? If OK, it’ll be late today / early on the 21st.
[Btw, I don’t have a URL, and my astrology activity has no professional / commercial reach.]

http://www.astrodynamics.net Lynn Hayes

That’s fine Yoshi, and thanks for your consideration in asking. Your comments are always insightful and interesting. If they are too long, though, no one will read them.

Chiron

Well written piece Lynn. Interesting how astrology is sometimes a jig saw puzzle. Eclipses are fascinating pieces to the puzzle indeed. Looking at the path of totality, it is intriguing to analyze how the eclipses’ effects may play out. A chart set for Bhutan at the institution of the monarchy indicates an extrordinarily stressful period set off by the eclipse. The path of totality does not exactly hit Sandouping, China however it does smack Shanghai. A chart set for the initial construction of the Three Gorges Dam indicates a dramatic transiting T square setting off that chart. We will simply have to wait & see what transitions are in store indicated by this eclipse.

GB

I am an Aries who currently is soaking up a lot of negative energy. Big changes are just below the surface, especially at my job. I would like to know what I can do during this time period and what, if any, rituals should be undertaken during the new moon/eclipse.
bd.04/15/1964 EST 1:15p.m.

John

Hi, just curious- do you know what degree this Cancer eclipse is?

http://www.astrodynamics.net Lynn Hayes

GB, this has been a difficult year for you with Saturn transiting a big system in your chart that includes a conjunction of the Moon and Venus which are both squared by Chiron on one end and Uranus/Pluto on the other. The good news is that Saturn this month completed that cycle so you should feel some relief.
Your chart is short on the water element, except for Saturn and Chiron which suggests that you find it difficult to navigate the realm of emotions. Neptune is in Scorpio but that is generational and doesn’t affect you individually so much. This eclipse is likely to (and probably has already started to) reach into your heart and dig out emotions that have long been buried. The eclipse is square (within 4 degrees) to your Sun, so you can learn a great deal about yourself if you allow this process to take place. Except discomfort, but it won’t last forever. See what parts of yourself emerge during the eclipse and welcome them as they integrate back into the rest of your being.

Yoshinogawa

Have dreaded submitting this long thing…but with Lynn’s kind permission, here it is…for those with long attention spans, a surfeit of interest or just tired of twitter.
Lynn’s article is chock full of astroknowledge…the enormity of the potential here, the sweep of this eclipse is mind-boggling.
Focusing on just one area as my astrofriend and I have discussed & agreed as highlighting the People’s Republic of China…am going back to the total solar eclipse of Aug 1st 2008. Why ??? First, because that was China’s 1st total eclipse of their last 100 yrs…second, the fact this summer’s makes it 2 in a row, I think, has relevance — especially as their paths of totality form a T-square !!! This may not present a sense of meaning unless one has a feel for patterns (a T-square is a T-square, whether in a traffic grid, among chart angular relationships, or with a victim under a guillotine), and there are other aspects in the highlighting besides shape.
The Aug 1st ’08 eclipse totality path began in Canada where the vertical Manitoba-Saskatchewan border of approx. 102 degrees west longitude intersects the shore of Queen Maude Gulf in the Arctic…the umbra touching down around 10:10 AM Universal Time (GMT) / 5:10 AM Central Daylight Time to pass in a shallow arc through northern Canada, over the top of the globe and down past Novosibirsk, Russia, and over Mongolia, then into China and finally left earth at Xi’an at 108 degrees east longitude 56 minutes.
This yr’s July 21st-22nd eclipse starts off on the west coast of India at Mumbai, crosses east in a gentle arc cutting the eastern end of Nepal and over Bhutan (125 miles below Lhasa, Tibet), into China past Chengdu (Sichuan Province), continues on its easterly route approx. 250 miles below Xi’an, on past Shanghai, under Kyushu, Japan…and once over the Pacific, makes a steeper drop to end 2,000 miles below Hawaii.
On the way through the country of focus, the eclipse path virtually bisects China west to east…as if to separate top from bottom.
Other aspects to consider include various synchronicities / events. Readers will need to read between and behind the lines, supply their own bright discoveries, as my astrofriend and I cannot do it all here.
On the collective level, these other considerations relate to geography and history. Geographically, China is the world’s 3rd largest country after Russia and Canada, has the world’s largest population by far, is or is close to being the 2nd largest economy, and has an exceedingly long history…in which, Xi’an is one of China’s old capitals, exceptional in terms of culture / religion, with a timeline back to 1,100 BCE, is home to a 5,000 yr-old neolithic village and the 500,000 yr-old Lantian Man, not to forget all those looking-very-alive terracotta soldiers. It was the centre / birthplace of 5 sects of Buddhism. Physically, it happens to pretty well be in the centre of the country. There is also an interesting Tibetan connection here in the presence of a temple dedicated to Princess Wencheng (a good research topic for those interested).
Returning to another princess, the Princess of Wales, later Queen Maude…her name was given to the Arctic gulf in Canada’s Nunavut by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. She, with Norwegian connections by birth, was aunt of King George VI, who in turn is an ancestor of Charles, Prince of Wales, through his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince Charles has a special interest in our Aboriginal peoples (that goes beyond shaking hands with chiefs)…he has done walks / meditations with elders, has been conferred names / titles by First Nations in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan and also by the Inuit in Nunavut, and has made 17 trips to Canada…including to Nunavut, the polar region now undergoing grave and massive change from global warming. The Prince has been highly active promoting care for the environment / works regularly on organic and sustainable agriculture projects. And he has a strong concern for human rights…to the extent of announcing (before anyone else of importance), in solidarity with Tibetans, his non-attendance at the ’08 Beijing Olympics.
Tibetans, like Canada’s First Nations peoples, are the indigenous inhabitants of their land Tibet, while the Han Chinese, since their invasion in 1950, are their colonizers, now rapidly augmenting their own numbers by Beijing-directed migration via the new Tibet-Qinghai Railway.
You will all recall the great kerfuffle over the 49th Tibetan Uprising anniversary on Mar 10 ’08 and the protests into the days of the 29th Olympiad in Beijing…what those protests were all about. A Pandora’s box of Beijing / China issues was then opened…rampant corruption in all sectors of their society, lack of proper quality control oversight on their nation’s exports, dependency of the West on China’s cheap labour, serious environmental pollution, questionable proceedings of their justice process for the indicted, jailings of political dissidents, Falun Gong persecution and organ harvesting, revelations of ‘cultural genocide’ of Tibetans, including their physical / psychological torture, media censorship (incl. the Internet), military / industrial spying in the lands of China’s trading partners, intimidation of overseas students perceived as active in Falun Gong, harassment of its own citizens protesting heavy-handed expropriation of their homes to make way for the Olympics, lambasting of the Nobel Laureate His Holiness the Dalai Lama at every opportunity, support of rogue reprobate regimes (Zimbabwe, Burma, NKorea, Sudan), denial by Beijing of their each and every humanitarian or other crime…and on and on…this litany is long.
This yr’s Mar 10 ’09 anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising was its 50th. For those into numbers…29 is highly karmic, while 49 / 50 pertain to the Chiron Return.
So, what’s the connection with Prince Charles. Well, he was the one who at the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997 referred to the Beijing diplomats he met then as “appalling old waxworks”…a quote not to be forgotten.
Back to the total solar eclipse of summer ’08, the 1st such eclipse over Canada since Feb 26, 1979. Saturn, the Lord of Karma, then was in the 11th degree of Virgo. After its next approx. 29 1/2 yr cycle, it returned to the same position on Aug 25, 2008…for astrological purposes it had more or less returned during the 2008 29th Olympiad that began on Aug 8th. On the 8th day of the 8th month of ’08, transiting Pluto, the Lord of the Underworld, conjuncted the natal Sun of Hu Jintao in the 29th degree of Sagittarius (the sign covering affairs of sports, and the 29th degree of a sign is referred to as the ‘Anaretic’ or karmic degree…karma = ‘what goes around comes around’). Hu was born in Jiangyan, Jiangsu, PRC, in 1942. He is primarily responsible for what went on in Tibet vis-a-vis the Tibetans after his appointment as Party Chief of the Tibet Autonomous Region in 1988. He’s now the comrade of comrades of the PRC.
A month or so before the 2008 Olympics, on July 5th, 2008, in Berlin, city of the 1936 Games (where the event gave birth to the now controversial torch relay), an angry man (a 41 yr-old police officer, probably in his Uranus opposition / mid-life crisis) entered Madame Tussaud’s museum and beheaded the waxworks figure of Hitler (the ‘dictator’ that brought disaster to the world in the 1st half of the last century)…one authority beheading a wax facsimile of another….an ‘appalling’ act, no doubt.
Forward to 2 days before the ’08 total eclipse of Aug 1st …at around 8:30 PM CDT, July 30, Tim McLean, 22, a carnival worker (probably only a year or so past his 1st Uranus square and maybe into / around his 2nd Saturn square), was seated at the back of a Greyhound bus on the Trans-Canada Highway, heading home to Winnipeg, Manitoba. At Brandon (100 degrees west longitude…close to the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border mentioned above) he made his last call of the trip to his parents’ …but did not make his destination …because he was killed about 13 miles west of Portage la Prairie, near Winnipeg. He was fatally stabbed, his slayer then beheading him and eating some of his body parts, and mutilating the remainder, the other passengers having made a rapid exit from the bus.
The beheader was Vincent Weiguang Li, 40, an immigrant from China and former restaurant worker in Edmonton, Alberta (likely in his Uranus opposition passage). Coincident with this event, i.e., a little before and after, was a clustering of numerous beheading incidents around the world. Calling Li’s grotesque acts “appalling,” Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench judge John Scurfield found Li not criminally responsible, based on evidence of mental illness provided at his trial.
Online news reports of this horrific incident elicited an enormous volume of posts on the comment spaces of Canadian media…and the reaction by the public was one of great outrage despite that Li obviously was not in control of his actions. There was little comment then, as far as I could see, from Beijing’s ’50 Cent Army,’ which normally at their govt’s behest would turn out in great numbers to overwhelm posts negative of Beijing / China in any article to do with their nation.
Li will serve his time at a provincial psychiatric facility, where there will be opportunities for treatment of his illness…his term there, whether life or eventual release, dependent on Manitoba’s review board.
Obviously, there’s much to be said re. the relationship between eclipses and past / present / future events…and especially now for those occurring against the backdrop of our current changes, such as they are.
It may be difficult for anyone to wrap up the eclipses and the numerous threads of events / signs / symbols surrounding them into a meaningful succinct whole. Perhaps some readers would like to try.

DW

…in the 9th house for me. My venus is not aspected either so I am actually grateful for the “air time”. Transiting Uranus trines it from the cusp of the 5th house and the transiting south node is as close to conjuncting my venus as possible. Any thoughts, anyone?
Thanks

DW

The eclipse is conjunct venus…sorry, I missed some text…

Taylor

I got Cancer in Ascendant at 26.44 degrees, Sun in Libra 4th house at 4.34 degrees, Capricorn in 7th house 26.44 degrees, and Aries in Midheaven at 14.57… will those signs in my houses will affect me connected to the Cancer Solar Eclipse? Could you give more info. on what could happen to me based on where the signs and houses I just told u about? thanks!

Lynn Hayes

DW, it certainly looks like you’re having some changes in your relationship world. Taylor, the eclipse was a few degrees from your ascendant so any “unmasking” would have to do with the development of your personal identity and the way you navigate through your life. But without at least a birth date it’s difficult to see much more.

I am a cancerian born on 17 July 1960 at 21.30 hrs with pisces as ascendant. After the first eclipse my mother fell seriously ill and died after the second eclipse. I have been observing a lot ups and down in relationships with people. Can I have a clue of what in store for me for the future?

Satianand

I am a cancerian born on 17 July 1960 at 21.30 hrs with pisces as ascendant. After the first eclipse my mother fell seriously ill and died after the second eclipse. I have been observing a lot ups and down in relationships with people. Can I have a clue of what in store for me for the future?

Bubbles

BD: March 7, 1954
BT: 3:33am
I have been relocated 3 hours west of the birthplace time zone for over 25 years.
Wow, this has been quite a ride so far.
$400 stolen by my boss – from a shared drawer where there had been 5 people in it. He tries to pin it on me another co-worker. He fires her as there needs to be a sacrifice. Bad move since the one he chose he had been sexually soliciting. To make a long story short he became my former boss.
New boss comes in who I had had problems with in the past over a poorly handled sexual harassment problem. Lots of labor laws were being broken. I am now known as the one who makes noise. I finally couldn’t take anymore of them stealing from customers by taxing items that shouldn’t of been; there were some mighty nasty – gross – conditions; and there are hazardous waste issues. I turned the store in for several violations.
I was terminated the day the inspector showed up for the no hot water – no gloves issue.
On the very same day I was terminated I wasn’t even at work. I was at my doctor’s office who placed me off work for 3 months that very same day. I wasn’t actually notified about the termination until the next day when I called in to say I had a note from my doctor removing me from work because of my heart condition and resulting complications…which I think were actually made worse by the quickly deteriorating workplace conditions.
No telling what is next.

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